Road Races

Dixon Cooney, Emily Leidig win titles at Liberty 5K

Youth rules Liberty 5K run

By Mike Brohard

Sports Editor

Posted:
07/04/2014 11:30:14 AM MDT

Laura Speaker, left, and Marilyn Loomis wear patriotic colors as they head out on the course with other participants in the Liberty 5K road race Friday in east Loveland. (Steve Stoner / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Dixon Cooney runs to a first-place finish in the men's division of the Liberty 5K road race Friday near Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland. Cooney clocked a time of 16:39. (Steve Stoner / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

For many of the 720 race finishers Friday, the Loveland Liberty 5K was a great way to kick off the Fourth of July holiday weekend. On a day where the country celebrates its freedom, patriotism was not hard to find.

There were Star-Spangled shorts, shirts, socks and hats aplenty, a full-body suit complete with an American Flag cape and even Wonder Woman came ready to run in the race that started and finished at Grimm Brothers Brewhouse.

For those old enough to enjoy, there was a free beer at the finish, which brought out a couple of pair of BEER socks, proudly stating the motivation for those runners.

Naturally, there was the competitive element, with some strong performances posted on a morning that was a touch warmer than some would appeal for, but strong times were posted nonetheless, especially by the lead pack.

Dixon Cooney, a 2013 graduate of Mountain View who is now running for McPherson College in Kansas, took the men's title in a crisp 16:39, nearly 30 seconds better than last year's top time and 33 seconds ahead of runner-up Michael Jackson.

Teens ruled the day, as the women's title was won by Thompson Valley sophomore Emily Leidig, who crossed in 19:59, 29 seconds faster than her Eagles' teammate, Ellie Colpitts. Both placed sixth in their fields a year ago.

In what is always a good sign for a runner, both of the victors said they felt strong from the start of the race, a route that carried them south on Denver Avenue, west down First Street, north on Boise Avenue, then east on 11th and back down Denver.

Cooney, whose sister Riley won the women's race last year but didn't run this year, said his training has consisted mostly of just piling up yardage without much speed work. To that end, his results were rather encouraging for him.

"I just wanted to go out today and provide a decent time, and I knew if I did that, I'd have a pretty good shot of winning," said Cooney, who took the lead about the halfway point. "We went out about 5:30, which is a little slow for me, so I felt pretty confident when I took the lead.

Emily Leidig approaches the finish line and a win in the women's division of the Liberty 5K road race Friday, posting a time of 19:59. (Steve Stoner / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

"I guess I was just kind of staying strong, and other people may have gone out too fast. I just kept moving."

In the end, he shaved 1:31 off his time from the year prior. Jackson finished in 17:12, while Craig Depperschmidt, who won the men's race in 2013, was third at 17:29.

Leidig bested her time from a year earlier by 42 seconds, sticking with her game plan to start, then adding a winning dimension later.

She ran with her TVHS teammates early and with coach Matt Norton until the 2-mile mark before they started to separate. Feeling she had a bit more to give at that point, her mentality changed and she went searching for competition that she never found.

"That was actually the first time I had thought of going for first female,' she said. "I kind of looked ahead, is there any other female there. I wasn't sure, so I was like, 'let's go see,' and that's when I kicked it in.

"I definitely felt a lot stronger training, and my whole team has improved greatly, which is great news for all of us."

Awards were also given in the categories of masters and dog runners. The top masters male was Duane Rorie (18:59) and the female was Eileen Herbst (22:31). Dave Seabeck and his dog Dexter (who still had energy to spare) crossed in 20:54.

The event raises money for Life for the Innocent, an organization that helps rescue youth worldwide from child trafficking. Event director Nicole Fellure received positive feedback from the crowd, many of whom were still around a couple of hours after the race finished. She estimated the event will raise around $15,000 for the cause.